Goldfish Cupcakes

After making the Spaghetti & Meatballs cupcakes recently, I thought that I really needed to make more cute cupcakes from that book!  Actually, I have both the "Hello, Cupcake" book, and the sequel, "What's New, Cupcake".  These Koi Goldfish are from the second book, "What's New, Cupcake?"  I've had the newer cupcake book for almost a year and haven't made anything from it, so I thought it was high time I did!  I picked this recipe because it was both cute and looked easy.  I made these with the kids yesterday afternoon when it was a no-school day.  I used the same delicious vanilla cupcake recipe I used before.  (At the bottom of that post).  They turned out really well and the kids had a ton of fun making them.  (BTW, that orange circus peanut candy tastes really gross- like bubble gum, but the kids seemed to like it!!!  I just took it off of my cupcake when I ate one). 

Koi Pond Cupcakes

from What's New, Cupcake?

15 vanilla cupcakes baked in blue paper liners

1-2 cups vanilla frosting

Blue food coloring

30 orange circus peanuts
30 orange peanut butter-filled candy-coated chocolates (Peanut Butter M&Ms)
15 orange cereal O’s (Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks (we used Cheerios))
30 brown mini candy-coated chocolates (M&Ms Minis) or chocolate chips

1. Spoon 1/4-1/2 cup of the vanilla frosting into a small plastic zip lock bag, press out the excess air, seal and set aside. Tint the remaining can of vanilla frosting pale blue with a few drops of the blue food coloring. Cover and set aside.

2. For the fins, place 15 of the circus peanuts on their sides and cut lengthwise into 2 slices, to make 30 slices. Lay each slice cut side down and cut each in half on the diagonal. For the bodies, place the remaining 24 circus peanuts flat side down and make a diagonal cut from one end, removing no more than ¼ inch (you'll set the eyes on this flat cut).

3. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with the light blue frosting and smooth. Place 1 of the circus peanut bodies on top of each frosted cupcake. Arrange fins, cut side up and pointed ends out, 2 at the uncut end of each circus peanut body and 2 on either side in the middle.

4. Snip a small (⅛-inch) corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting. Pipe a large dot of frosting at the cut end of the circus peanut body. Press 2 orange candies into the dot of frosting for the eyes and 1 cereal O for the mouth. Pipe small dots of vanilla frosting on the orange candies and add the brown candies or chocolate chips for the pupils. Repeat on all of the koi goldfish bodies with the remaining frosting and candies.

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